Author: Lori Rubinstein

The Behind the Scenes Mental Health Initiative has rolled out a number of suicide prevention tools as part of joining the #BeThe1To campaign run by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and its partners. These tools are available at btshelp.org/bethe1to.

Our survey of the industry revealed that most people want to help if they see someone at risk for suicide but they don’t know what to say or do, or are afraid they will make things worse or damage their relationship with the person. Evidence shows this is not the case and it is critical to reach out.

The first part of the campaign is called “Know the Warnings Signs” because the more familiar someone is with the warning signs of suicide the more likely they are to recognize them. We have created posters listing some of the key warning signs in English, Spanish and French and they are available for download in 3 different sizes. The posters are a very simple design so they can be easily printed out and posted on call boards, notice boards, breakrooms, and anywhere other company or safety information is shown.

The second part of the campaign is the #BeThe1To poster which lists the five steps that can be critical to saving a life. The more familiar everyone is with them, the more comfortable they will be taking those steps. These posters are available in the same sizes and languages with the addition of a JPG for sharing on social media. They also include a QR code which leads to additional information. Each of the five steps is very straightforward but acting on them can sometimes be daunting. This additional information provides guidance and practical examples for each of the steps and is available as a PDF or PowerPoint presentation.

During these difficult times for our industry, when so many are dealing with anxiety or depression and struggling to maintain their mental and emotional health, it’s important that everyone takes the time to become familiar with this information. Learn how to recognize the signs of distress and what you can do to help save a life.

The Long Reach Long Riders are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the 2020 LRLR Kazoo Relay Ride. The ride was the LRLR response to the coronavirus crisis that has gripped the US and the world.

“We knew we couldn’t hold a traditional LRLR ride due to the virus,” noted ride organizer Greg Williams, “but we also didn’t want to abandon the charities at a time when they really needed support. We came up with the Relay Ride to give riders an opportunity to participate in the ride and the public to support it.”

The Kazoo Relay Ride was dubbed the Just Breathe ride, in honor of Cris Dopher, one of the LRLR founding members who passed away in September after a long battle with Cystic Fibrosis.  Bill Sapsis recalled that “Cris’s courage, humor and bike parking skills are legendary among the LRLR and the Relay Ride was the perfect way to acknowledge the impact Cris had on our lives.”

The ride, which raised over $45,000.00 for Behind the Scenes and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, consisted of small groups riding for a day or two with an oversized kazoo ‘baton’ and then passing the baton to the next group of riders. It began at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero, CA and finished at the Portland Head Lighthouse in Portland, ME. 

Ride facts:

• Number of days to complete the Relay Ride: 14
• Number of riders, passengers & chase car crew: 38
• Number of relay legs: 8
• Total mileage: 4,838 miles
• Longest relay leg: 1,060 miles
• Shortest relay leg: 141 miles                       

The Long Reach Long Riders would like to thank everyone involved with helping make this very special ride such an amazing success; our organizers, riders, chase car crew and especially our 200+ sponsors. 

Learn more at www.lrlr.org.

Click here to support a rider on the 2020 relay ride  – donations are still being accepted!

Behind the Scenes is pleased to announce that Concert Shop has become a Pledge-a-Product Partner by pledging to donate a percentage of sales from their Blaklader® Workwear line.  Blaklader® is Sweden’s leading producer of heavy working clothes. They are functional, durable, and designed for work. For more information or to shop the store visit https://concertshop.store/collections/blaklader

Newly launched, Concert Shop is a boutique online store providing tried and true personal gear tailored to meet the demands of people who work. Their offerings include high quality clothing, personal equipment, accessories, and supplies.

Upon announcing the pledge, founder Mike Aug stated, “At the Concert Shop, we believe in giving back to the industry that has supported our families for decades.  We strongly believe in the work that the Behind the Scenes Foundation does to assist those in every facet of the entertainment industry. With that, the Concert Shop is proud to announce that we will contribute a portion of every Blaklader® Workwear sale to the Behind the Scenes Foundation to aide in their mission of providing support to injured or ill entertainment technology professionals.”

Rick Rudolph, the Chair of Behind the Scenes, commented, “We are so pleased to welcome Mike and Concert Shop as our newest Pledge-a-Product Partner. Mike’s years in the industry have taught him to value high quality, long-lasting workwear and he’s decided to make what he found through extensive searching and field testing available to everyone in our industry. So Dress for Success and support your colleagues in need!”

The Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative announces the launch of Be Scene – Be Heard, a 24/7/365 anonymous, peer-to-peer chat app for those who work behind the scenes.

It can be hard to talk with family and friends about how you’re feeling, especially now when you want to be strong for others because that’s what you do – you’re used to taking care of things. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to people who don’t know you, but who can relate because they’re in this industry too. Maybe you’re doing pretty well but you’d be willing to help someone else just by listening and offering a few words of experience.

That’s why Behind the Scenes has partnered with iRel8 to launch Be Scene – Be Heard. A platform to interact with your peers, talk about what’s on your mind, find comfort and knowledge from one another, and, perhaps, offer insight to someone who is going through something you already have. Chats are instantly translatable into 54 languages. Be Scene – Be Heard is available Wherever you are, Whenever you need it, for Whatever is on your mind.

Signing up for the Be Scene – Be Heard App is easy!  All you need is a real email address to get started, regardless of whether or not it identifies you. At a cost of $0.99 a month – a less than $12 a year investment in your mental wellness, we hope this will be a useful tool to our community. Sign up today!

To start you will find a “room” for general conversation and one for industry resources. As participation grows, sub-groups will be formed for more focused discussion on topics such as, but not limited to: anxiety and depression, staying sober, women in the industry, bullying and harassment, etc. Participants will be able to create their own groups and conduct one-on-one chats within the app, giving you the ability to create and tailor your own safe spaces.

While Be Scene – Be Heard is a great way to find and lend peer to peer support, it not a crisis hot line. If you or someone you care about is in danger of harming yourself or someone else you should call 911 or reach out to one of the 24/7/365 resources at btshelp.org/resources.

We hope you will join this new online community specifically for our industry to turn to, ask for, or provide assistance, insight, comfort, and support. Please join us today and Be Scene – Be Heard!

The Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative, in partnership with HelpPRO, announces the launch of the Entertainment Industry Therapist Finder. The Finder only includes listings for mental health professionals who have previously worked with clients in the entertainment industry or who have personal professional experience in the industry themselves.

Users are able to search for a therapist using a simple search form which includes location, insurance accepted, what areas the therapist specializes in, and therapist availability such as whether they see clients remotely or on nights and weekends. An advanced search is available which also includes such criteria as theoretical approaches, credentials held by the therapist, specific populations they have experience with, and languages spoken. Both searches indicate whether the therapist is accepting new clients.

The Entertainment Industry Therapist Finder has been developed in response to an industry survey conducted last fall. The results revealed just how prevalent the problem of finding therapists who understand something about the unique culture and stresses of the entertainment industry is. Many respondents expressed frustration with therapists who consistently made suggestions that were unrealistic given the long working hours and employment challenges so many in our industry face. They also expressed the difficulty of scheduling appointments with therapists who kept only 9 to 5 office hours.

If you know of a therapist with the required experience, please tell them about the finder and ask them to register at btshelp.org/therapist_registration or email their contact info to [email protected] and we will reach out to them. We will continue to actively recruit therapists for the finder that meet the industry’s needs.

Behind the Scenes has come together with other concerned organizations and individuals to create the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative. A series of tools and resources has been developed to not only help you but also assist you in helping your colleagues. Find links to resources, the online self-assessment tool, and information about the initiative and programs at btshelp.org/mentalhealth.

Behind the Scenes announces an online behavioral health screening program as part of its Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative. These free screenings are completely anonymous, private, easily accessible, and quick to complete.

The entertainment industry has unique rewards, practices, stressors and challenges that are not commonly experienced in the same way in other professions. By its very nature our industry can impact your physical and emotional health with long hours, pressure to push your body, and high workplace stress.

These screenings are a tool to check in on a key part of your overall health – your behavioral health – which includes mental health, substance use, and more. The program consists of nine different sets of questions which can help you self-identify symptoms you may be experiencing. You choose which of the screenings you wish to take based on how you are feeling.

The screenings are a quick way to determine if you or someone you care about can benefit from the help and support of a Mental Health professional. They will help you understand if what you have been thinking and feeling may be associated with a common, treatable behavioral health issue. Immediately following each screening you will see your results, recommendations, and key resources.

Take a confidential screening today at www.btshelp.org/screening, or tell a friend or colleague who also might benefit.

An extensive listing of resource links is now available on the Behind the Scenes website at btshelp.org/resources. Finding help when you are going through a difficult time can be overwhelming. A simple internet search can result in hundreds of pages and links and different terminology which can further complicate seeking help. We hope these resource links provide a simple, straightforward way for you to find assistance.

Behind the Scenes in conjunction with other concerned organizations and individuals have come together to create the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative. A series of tools and resources has been developed to not only help you but also assist you in helping your colleagues. Find links to resources, the online self-assessment tool, and information about the initiative and programs at btshelp.org/mentalhealth.

How best to celebrate the amazing life of a founding member of the LRLR, especially in a year already filled with more plot twists and emotional rollercoaster rides than the worst sophomoric bodice-ripping trash novel? 

With a relay ride of course, all the way across the US. A relay ride featuring (what else??) an oversized kazoo. Just the type of adventure we believe Cris “Brooklyn” Dopher would be proud to join. This year we’ll carry his memory with us as we cross the country. 

We hope you’ll consider joining us for a day or two if you can, and more importantly we hope you’ll consider supporting the riders as they pay their own way on the various legs of the relay while raising desperately needed charity funds. 

Starting in California on June 17th and ending at the easternmost point in the US in Lubec, Maine on July 2nd, this year’s route has it all – Pacific Coast Highway, beautiful desert, mountain ranges of both the Rockies and the Appalachians, Green mountains of Vermont, and the rugged coast of Maine, with a whole lot of Nebraska and Iowa thrown in for good measure!

16 days is a long stretch, but we hope it will give several people an opportunity to join us for a day or two who might otherwise not have had the chance. Each leg of the relay will be led by an experienced LRLR member. 

Learn more at www.lrlr.org.

Click here to support a rider on the 2020 relay ride today!

Two industry businesses, LiteGear and Blue Planet Lighting, have found creative ways to provide employment and support Behind the Scenes, which continues to provide grants to entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured and to develop the new Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative.

LiteGear, a BTS Pledge-a-Product Partner, has launched their Donate, Support and Save Program which includes donating N95 masks, reminding their customers that every purchase of a LiteMat Kit supports Behind the Scenes, and offering weekly specials on some of their most popular products. Considered an essential business in California because they service the media industry, LiteGear has been able to keep their staff employed and is working hard to continue their ongoing support for Behind the Scenes.

Blue Planet Lighting wanted to do something to help all the freelance production personnel who suddenly found themselves unemployed and unable to generate any income. With their primary focus being sales and service, Blue Planet has made an offer to the industry to hire, on a commission basis, anyone who wants to reach out to venues in their area who may be using this time to purchase new equipment or complete maintenance and repairs. Once a lead is generated, Blue Planet will create a quote and if a sale is finalized the individual will receive a large commission and a percentage will be donated to Behind the Scenes.

Rick Rudolph, Chair of Behind the Scenes, commented, “We are so appreciative of the support offered by LiteGear and Blue Planet Lighting during this extremely difficult time for our industry. Unfortunately, serious illness and injury do not stop because of Covid-19 and these individuals are now more vulnerable than ever. In addition, the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative is even more urgently needed now and our volunteers and staff are working hard to roll out resources and programs as quickly as possible.”

Behind the Scenes holiday cards make a difference – and you can too! The cards have become a tradition in the industry for those who want to spread holiday cheer while supporting their colleagues in need due to serious illness or injury. Each year designs have been created and donated to the charity by everyone from Tony Award winners to high school design students. Behind the Scenes is seeking designers for their 2020 cards. The design guidelines are very simple and you can also view previous examples of the holiday cards. If you are interested in designing a card, Behind the Scenes will need your commitment no later than April 15th and your artwork by May 15th. Please contact Lori Rubinstein at [email protected] or 212-244-1421.